This CD covers the largely neglected, faux-jazz period in Whiteman's output running from the beginning of electrical recordings in 1925 and continuing into 1928 when his orchestra became greatly enlarged. Most of the tracks on this CD are played by Grofe's "perfect orchestra", which has four instrumental voices in each section, allowing the sections to end a phrase with a sixth chord [Whiteman and McBride. (1926). Jazz.] The instrumentation is largely two trumpets, two trombones, four reeds doubling on many instruments, two violins (enlarged to four in 1927), piano, banjo, tuba, and drums. This orchestral combination has played some of the finest dance music ever recorded. The songs are generally of a lighter vein and contain some breath-taking performances by Ross Gorman and Charles Strickfadden on reeds, electrifying trombone solos by Wilbur Hall (who played on segments of the Gong Show on television in the early 1980s), and the fantastic trumpet-work of Henry Busse. This is the type of music that made Whiteman a household name in the 1920s, and is some of the best representative, "symphonic jazz" music of that period.

This NAXOS CD has presented these early electrical recordings in a very enjoyable package. If you like music from the 1920s but have only heard the Whiteman recordings from the Beiderbecke period of 1927-1929, you will find here an entirely different dimension of well-written, well-scored, happy, and bouncy music played by the absolutely highest-caliber musicians that ever graced a dance orchestra.